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Chapter 3: Practical Politics
! The 1898 election season opened with Republican and Populist leaders loosing
control of the Fusion movement. Both parties were fractured because of Governor
Daniel L. Russell’s inability to satisfy both sides. The resulting failure of Fusion
spurred the rejuvenation of the Democratic Party.
! Furnifold Simmons was selected to chair the state Democratic Party campaign of
1898. Simmons and the Democrats developed a white supremacy argument as a
primary campaign tool even as they pointed out shortcomings of the incumbent
Fusion administration. Leading Democrat Josephus Daniels noted that Simmons used
a three- pronged attack to win the election: men who could write, speak, and “ ride.”
" Men who could write were used to create propaganda for newspapers and
circulars provided by the Democratic Party. The Raleigh News and Observer,
Charlotte Observer, Wilmington Messenger and the Wilmington Morning Star led
the barrage.
" Men who could speak were sent throughout the state to inflame white voters.
Statewide speakers included future governor Charles B. Aycock, Robert Glenn,
and Wilmington native Alfred Moore Waddell.
" Men who could ride were recruited by clubs such as the White Government
Union and Red Shirts. The clubs sought to intimidate blacks and press white
Fusionists to vote for Democratic Party candidates.
! Wilmington’s election campaign reflected the statewide program, and leading
Democrats from across the state took special interest in securing victory in the city.
Added to the campaign was a series of secret meetings in which leading white
businessmen planned to retake control of the city after the election. The men, called
the “ Secret Nine,” also mapped out a citywide plan of action in case of violence.
! Wilmington hosted a strong set of White Government Union clubs as well as an
active group of Red Shirts. These men held rallies and paraded through African
American neighborhoods brandishing guns on a regular basis.
! The city’s major newspapers were full of Democratic campaign rhetoric and
contributed to the increasing tensions by printing inflammatory articles concerning
threats of black violence, reports of skyrocketing gun sales, glorified accounts of Red
Shirt activity, and excerpts of speeches by men such as Alfred Moore Waddell.
! Waddell’s role as a provocative speaker was central to the campaign. His speeches
survive as examples of the extremes to which white Wilmington Democrats were
willing to go in order to achieve victory.
! Support for the campaign grew on an almost daily basis, and Red Shirt activity
increased in the days just prior to the election on November 8, 1898 as a means of
intimidating and frightening blacks and white Republicans.

Chapter 3: Practical Politics
! The 1898 election season opened with Republican and Populist leaders loosing
control of the Fusion movement. Both parties were fractured because of Governor
Daniel L. Russell’s inability to satisfy both sides. The resulting failure of Fusion
spurred the rejuvenation of the Democratic Party.
! Furnifold Simmons was selected to chair the state Democratic Party campaign of
1898. Simmons and the Democrats developed a white supremacy argument as a
primary campaign tool even as they pointed out shortcomings of the incumbent
Fusion administration. Leading Democrat Josephus Daniels noted that Simmons used
a three- pronged attack to win the election: men who could write, speak, and “ ride.”
" Men who could write were used to create propaganda for newspapers and
circulars provided by the Democratic Party. The Raleigh News and Observer,
Charlotte Observer, Wilmington Messenger and the Wilmington Morning Star led
the barrage.
" Men who could speak were sent throughout the state to inflame white voters.
Statewide speakers included future governor Charles B. Aycock, Robert Glenn,
and Wilmington native Alfred Moore Waddell.
" Men who could ride were recruited by clubs such as the White Government
Union and Red Shirts. The clubs sought to intimidate blacks and press white
Fusionists to vote for Democratic Party candidates.
! Wilmington’s election campaign reflected the statewide program, and leading
Democrats from across the state took special interest in securing victory in the city.
Added to the campaign was a series of secret meetings in which leading white
businessmen planned to retake control of the city after the election. The men, called
the “ Secret Nine,” also mapped out a citywide plan of action in case of violence.
! Wilmington hosted a strong set of White Government Union clubs as well as an
active group of Red Shirts. These men held rallies and paraded through African
American neighborhoods brandishing guns on a regular basis.
! The city’s major newspapers were full of Democratic campaign rhetoric and
contributed to the increasing tensions by printing inflammatory articles concerning
threats of black violence, reports of skyrocketing gun sales, glorified accounts of Red
Shirt activity, and excerpts of speeches by men such as Alfred Moore Waddell.
! Waddell’s role as a provocative speaker was central to the campaign. His speeches
survive as examples of the extremes to which white Wilmington Democrats were
willing to go in order to achieve victory.
! Support for the campaign grew on an almost daily basis, and Red Shirt activity
increased in the days just prior to the election on November 8, 1898 as a means of
intimidating and frightening blacks and white Republicans.